Big jazz in the Big Easy
Every spring, New Orleans pays homage to its jazz soul with a massive two-weekend music extravaganza called Jazz Fest. Thousands of jazz musicians from around the world, come together in the city’s sultry springtime to celebrate jazz in all of its incarnations.
The Big Easy conjures up images of Mardi Gras, Superbowls, beads, lavish floats, parades, the French Quarter, jambalaya, gumbo, pralines, beignets, muffalettas, the Mississippi and riverboats.
But the constant soundtrack behind New Orleans is the everyday celebration of life through jazz — rhythm & blues, Dixieland, rock’n'roll, cool jazz, bebop, swing, ragtime, fusion and zydeco.
Jazz fest is more than simply a line-up of the world’s best jazz musicians performing at the fairgrounds. The music and the spirit of the crowds spill into the clubs, bars, restaurants, gardens, streets, parks and alleys of the city.
Jazz pulses through New Orleans from sidewalk buskers, to early-morning clubs, to taxi radios, to riverboat landings, to Preservation Hall concerts, to boom boxes blaring in the streets, to funeral celebrations.
The city comes alive with jazz.
Few cities are blessed with such characteristic background music. When visitors return from New Orleans, they don’t remember traffic, screeching trains and honking horns. They leave with jazz dancing through their heads.
This year’s Jazz Fest line up includes The Original Meters Reunion, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Nelly, Artist TBA, B.B. King, Juanes, The Neville Brothers, Trey Anastasio, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood, Ike Turner, and thousands more artists. A complete festival line-up and schedule of concerts can be found on its official Web site.
The Festival’s Louisiana Heritage Fair at the Fair Grounds Race Course will offer a total of 12 performance stages running simultaneously on April 22-24 and April 28 to May 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And for the first time, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will feature a stage solely dedicated to some of New Orleans most vibrant music and most venerable cultural traditions — the sights and sounds of brass bands, Mardi Gras Indians, and Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs.
During the day, come dressed for the sun. Sunglasses, sunscreen, wide-brim hats and comfortable shoes are in order. And get ready to enjoy New Orleans delicacies from scores of food vendors. They’ll be serving everything from crawfish bisque to pheasant, quail and andouille gumbo. There will also be plenty of New Orleans’ famous po-boy sandwiches stuffed with anything from roast beef to soft shell crabs. Or enjoy muffulettas, alligator pie and fried green tomatoes.
Tickets for the Heritage Fair are available and can be purchased at the Festival’s Web site and at all Ticketmaster outlets including its site, and by phone at (800) 488-5252 and (504) 522-5555 in New Orleans.
Daily tickets for the Heritage Fair are $25. These advance tickets are subject to service charges at the various outlets. Tickets at the gate will be $35. Daily tickets for children under age 12 are $5 in advance and at the gate.
See you in the Big Easy.